Diamond Brand to relocate and open second store in Asheville

By NANCY TANKERTimes-News Staff Writer

Published: Thursday, November 21, 2013 at 4:30 a.m.

Last Modified: Wednesday, November 20, 2013 at 6:22 p.m.

Come next year, staff members at Diamond Brand Outdoors are going to be hopping. They’ll not only be celebrating the outdoor-gear retailer’s 50th anniversary, but in late spring or early summer, officials hope to relocate the store from Arden to South Asheville and add a new “adventure boutique” in downtown Asheville.

The adventure boutique will be located on the ground floor of the Aloft Asheville Downtown hotel, which opened in August 2012 on Biltmore Avenue, one block from Pack Square. At about 3,000 square feet, the new location will be smaller in scale than the company’s 20,000-square-foot Arden location, “but we’ll still offer the best of the best in outdoor gear for a variety of activities in the Asheville area,” said Sarah Merrell, the company’s marketing manager.

“We’ll be offering very personalized customer service and we’ll be able to fit customers with the gear they need for the outdoor activities they want to pursue. We plan to offer outdoor activities through our store, too. We’ll have some exciting news coming up soon about that.”

Although the boutique is still in the planning stages, Merrell said the store will have paddling, hiking, camping and running departments, “and of course we’ll carry gear and electronics for the outdoors.” Company officials also are considering a climbing department.

“We’ve hired an architectural firm and we’re very excited about all the great merchandising for our new store,” Merrell said. “We think that our customers will really enjoy the improvements they’ll see.”

Also in the spring or summer, the company plans to relocate its main store from Arden to South Asheville’s Parkway Center, a strip shopping center located on Hendersonville Road in South Asheville. The center also houses Liberty Bicycles, Starbucks and a new Fresh Market, currently under construction.

“We’re really excited about the location because the neighbors we’ll have there are a really good fit for our business,” Merrell said. “We’re excited to partner with Liberty Bikes on upcoming events and projects, and we’ll be right up the street from the Blue Ridge Parkway, so we feel it’s a great location.”

The Parkway Center will be “a little smaller” than the Arden location, Merrell said, “but we’ll still offer the same great selection in gear that we currently offer” in Arden. She added that Diamond Brand’s sister store, the Frugal Backpacker, will remain in Arden.

<p>Come next year, staff members at Diamond Brand Outdoors are going to be hopping. They'll not only be celebrating the outdoor-gear retailer's 50th anniversary, but in late spring or early summer, officials hope to relocate the store from Arden to South Asheville and add a new “adventure boutique” in downtown Asheville. </p><p>The adventure boutique will be located on the ground floor of the Aloft Asheville Downtown hotel, which opened in August 2012 on Biltmore Avenue, one block from Pack Square. At about 3,000 square feet, the new location will be smaller in scale than the company's 20,000-square-foot Arden location, “but we'll still offer the best of the best in outdoor gear for a variety of activities in the Asheville area,” said Sarah Merrell, the company's marketing manager. </p><p>“We'll be offering very personalized customer service and we'll be able to fit customers with the gear they need for the outdoor activities they want to pursue. We plan to offer outdoor activities through our store, too. We'll have some exciting news coming up soon about that.”</p><p>Although the boutique is still in the planning stages, Merrell said the store will have paddling, hiking, camping and running departments, “and of course we'll carry gear and electronics for the outdoors.” Company officials also are considering a climbing department. </p><p>“We've hired an architectural firm and we're very excited about all the great merchandising for our new store,” Merrell said. “We think that our customers will really enjoy the improvements they'll see.”</p><p>Also in the spring or summer, the company plans to relocate its main store from Arden to South Asheville's Parkway Center, a strip shopping center located on Hendersonville Road in South Asheville. The center also houses Liberty Bicycles, Starbucks and a new Fresh Market, currently under construction. </p><p>“We're really excited about the location because the neighbors we'll have there are a really good fit for our business,” Merrell said. “We're excited to partner with Liberty Bikes on upcoming events and projects, and we'll be right up the street from the Blue Ridge Parkway, so we feel it's a great location.”</p><p>The Parkway Center will be “a little smaller” than the Arden location, Merrell said, “but we'll still offer the same great selection in gear that we currently offer” in Arden. She added that Diamond Brand's sister store, the Frugal Backpacker, will remain in Arden.</p><p>Reach Tanker at 828-694-7871 or nancy.tanker@blueridgenow.com.</p>